 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Sasha
Date: 2011-07-06 14:01
Hi,
I'm a trombone player and tech, and my son (10 years old) has decided he wants to play the clarinet. I have a clarinet that I received in a box of old parts that looks complete. However, I'm not sure what it is. The bell is marked
"Pan American" but I suspect this is a "marriage" because the opening bore of the bell is significantly smaller than the bore of the body. Is that normal? If not, can anyone tell from the pictures what kind of clarinet this is?
I also need to know a bit about pads. The clarinet was missing two pads when I received it, and I've got a pretty basic idea of how to replace a pad--enough to at least figure out if the instrument can be made playable. I bought a set of pads off of Ebay that were sold out of China. The face of the pad looks like rice paper over felt. Is that some sort of skin covering, or another wonderful Chinese product which looks sort of like the item it's copying, but doesn't work?
Post Edited (2011-07-06 17:19)
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2011-07-06 14:20
Hi, Sasha. If you tried to attach a photo, it did nt work.
Pan-American is an old Conn trademark for some of their clarinets. Do a search at the top of the page, and you will find numerpos posts on the topic.
With the pads, it is hard to say without seeing them. Normalskin pads are similar to what you described. Generally speaking, it is better to buy repaitr/restoration products from someone reputable and with a good track record for service and expertise.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-07-06 14:34
A lot of clarinets have a step in the bore where the lower joint tenon meets the bell.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: TJTG
Date: 2011-07-06 15:22
@Chris P
Is this step intentional? Or is it just a mix and match process made at the factory that leads to the inconsistency between the meeting bore and bell?
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Author: stevesklar
Date: 2011-07-06 16:56
Sasha,
Since you are a trombone players think of the clarinet in the same way.
For example, take an Edwards trombone, in which you can get a variety of bells, pipes, slides, etc.
The Bell has a flair but goes down to a common bore size. This is just like the clarinet bell.
Then the back section that further tapers to the slide section. The clarinet lower joint accomplishes this same type of taper.
So a clarinet fits together the same way. But of course the parts from the same make and model fit together as designed.
So the key is making sure each section first fits together as if it was made for each other. and hopefully each section is stamped with the model / maker on it to make it easier.
==========
Stephen Sklar
My YouTube Channel of Clarinet Information
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Author: Sasha
Date: 2011-07-06 17:20
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Sorry--the pics didn't load the first time. I'll try again.
The step is an odd thing. I understand the concept of a tapered bore, but in trombones it's a big no-no to have any kind of step. This one is quite large.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-07-06 17:37
Sometimes the step is intentional - usually the bell has the larger diameter bore at the base of the socket compared to the bore diameter at the end of the lower joint tenon, but the reversed step (or choke) isn't uncommon.
You'll be hard pushed to find any clarinet that doesn't have a step in the bore somewhere (to a greater or lesser degree) - the only way to avoid that is to ream the bore with the instrument assembled instead of machining all the joints separately so the bore is smooth and without any steps from barrel to bell (you'd have to ream from both ends to achieve this).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2011-07-06 18:37)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-07-06 18:32
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, or in your case, if it plays well, all is well.
(I'd worry about other things first...)
--
Ben
Post Edited (2011-07-06 18:32)
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